TEXT: Matthew 9:27-31
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
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In this account of blind men being healed by Jesus, we have seen, from their example, one of the greatest demonstrations of faith in the New Testament. These blind men walk not knowing what might happen within the next few inches ahead of them. Faith is, indeed, shown forth by our actions. However, it is also shown forth by our words, and the blind men show us this as well. Verse 27 says that they followed Jesus, “crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.”
What would prompt these men to refer to Jesus as “thou Son of David”? Albert Barnes says, “By ‘Son of David,’ the Jews meant the Messiah. He was the descendant or Son of David by way of eminence. This was therefore a profession of belief on the part of these blind men in the Messiahship of Jesus, and, at the same time, the expression of a belief that, being the Messiah, he could heal them.” Now, these blind men had no real evidence to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of David. They could not have examined the genealogical records of Mary and Joseph. They could not have gone back in time and interviewed Jesus’ earthly ancestors or observed the generational change from parents to children. Yet, based only on what they had heard of Jesus — yes, “faith comes by hearing” — they had faith that Jesus was the Messiah. And that faith caused them to cry out, “Thou Son of David!”
It is one thing to inwardly consider that Jesus is the Son of David. It is another thing to publicly profess that Jesus is the Son of David. (That is why a requirement of saving faith, according to Romans 10:9, is: “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth…”) The blind men confessed with their mouths what they believed about Jesus. They let Jesus know and they let the crowd know that their faith was real. They were ready to stake everything on what the Scriptures prophesied about the Messiah. That is why the blind men followed up their proclamation with a bold request — “have mercy on us.”
The Greek term translated as “have mercy,” means to: have compassion or to help one who is afflicted and seeking aid. Now, blind men, in their life as beggars, likely called on many people to “have mercy.” But those were nameless, faceless individuals who gave a penny or two out of a sense of guilt rather than real compassion. But now that they had identified the Son of David and cried out to Him to “have mercy,” they were expecting, not a pitiful human response, but a majestic Messiah response. They were done with pennies and nickels and quarters. They wanted life, and life more abundant, and they had faith enough to ask Jesus for it.
These blind men once again show us what it means to walk in faith and to speak in faith. True faith leads us to profess the Person in whom we believe and make requests of the Person in who we believe. Theoretical faith is not faith. Faith is only faith if it is exercised.
John Newton said:
Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Thus He will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey’s end.
Show me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith,
That I might trust Thee by thy grace.
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Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 